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Glite Dictionary
ptomaine

ptomaine

2 9.9
A poison made when food or meat goes bad that causes food poisoning
  • noun
  • /ˈtoʊmeɪn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ptomina
  • She herself seldom bought it, and never in hot weather for fear of ptomaine.
  • ptomaine poisoning

Examples

  • Say this: I will never, ever order a club sandwich here with bacon again, what with the ptomaine.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • "Club sandwich ptomaine," Tammy said.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • A touch of the ptomaine.

    Meet the Feebles (1989)

  • This looks like one of those places you get ptomaine.

    After Office Hours (1935)

  • A bad case of ptomaine poisoning.

    Freaks (1932)

  • I got to thinking, if we all weren't gonna die of ptomaine poisoning... I'd have to do something about it.

    Places in the Heart (1984)

  • She hoped the T-bone had ptomaine.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • THEN YOU CAN SPEND NEXT WEEK IN BED WITH PTOMAINE, HUH?

    Grumpy Old Men (1993)

  • Eating spoiled food can lead to ptomaine poisoning, which causes serious illness.

  • The chef warned us that the leftover meat might be contaminated with ptomaine.

Synonyms

toxicant
vsptomaine
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A poisonous substance that can harm people and animals

is limited to toxins produced during decomposition rather than all poisons
ptomain
vsptomaine
  • Archaic
9.9

Bacteria make a toxic chemical when animal or plant parts break down

is a general older term for toxins made during decay

Compounds

ptomaine poisoning
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old word for an illness from eating spoiled food

Surface Forms

ptomaine singular
ptomains plural

Etymology

Ptomaine comes from the Greek root ptoma, meaning 'dead body', plus the chemical ending -ine, as in caffeine. In the 1800s scientists used it for poisons they thought came from rotten meat, so ptomaine came to mean a poisonous substance made when food decays.